Over the past year, anxious news about the impact of a fragile economy seems to have fallen out of the headlines, replaced with cautious optimism about job numbers and market statistics that appear to be moving in the right direction — and that is good news. But at a community level, day-to-day reality has yet to catch up to improving forecasts. Too many people still don’t have the opportunities they need to build a better life for themselves and their families.

Community agencies in Toronto are on the front lines of this fight. They’re stretching their resources to the limit as they scramble to provide for those who are lining up for help. People who are hungry. Those who need support to find a job. People yearning for opportunity — and hope.

It’s hard to get a job. While we’re on a path to recovery, it won’t happen overnight. Unemployment in Toronto remains painfully high. Many people have been forced to turn to social assistance as a last resort.

But that’s just part of the story. Beneath the numbers is a troubling reality that people who are out of work today are staying unemployed for longer than ever before. This kind of chronic unemployment can cause serious damage. It threatens to undermine not just the individuals afflicted, but our collective prosperity as well.

Sadly, many of those who have found work aren’t faring much better. Many of the jobs that are available today are what can be called precarious. This includes part-time, contract and on-call positions. Jobs less likely to offer benefits. Jobs with uncertain futures. A recent report from CIBC has called the long-term rise in unskilled employment “a growing divide between have and have-not occupations.” The Metcalf Foundation estimates more than 70,000 people in Toronto who are currently employed still don’t make enough to pay the bills. United Way’s own research has revealed almost a quarter of residents living in our city’s highrise rental towers have to choose between paying their rent or buying necessities like groceries — every single month of the year.

These issues aren’t in the headlines every day. The fallout of a slow recovery truly is a hidden crisis. But it’s not a hopeless situation. Our city has an inspiring history of coming together to tackle these kinds of challenges head-on.

Across Toronto there are a number of vital organizations that work each day to make people and communities more resilient. Food banks are providing some of the most urgent support, ensuring people have the basic necessities. Employment agencies are connecting Torontonians with economic opportunities. Settlement services are helping newcomers connect to their communities and successfully integrate into their new life in Canada. These services are the social fabric that knits together our community and binds us to one another.

There are also good reasons to feel hopeful for our long-term future. Investment in Toronto’s priority neighbourhoods — some of the most vulnerable neighbourhoods in our city — is making a real difference. In just a few short years, the services and supports available to residents has grown significantly. Today, we are much better positioned to tackle challenges with solutions.

It’s important that we celebrate what we have accomplished. Without the generosity, participation and dedication of Torontonians, our city would have fallen much further behind after the Great Recession.

But our community still needs us. With so much to be done, let us recommit ourselves to doing what we can — whatever that means to us individually — to create a stronger, more vibrant city.

This is the season to give. Every gift matters. Every hour spent volunteering, every act of kindness and compassion, makes a difference. Because it helps build a brighter future for us all.

Susan McIsaac is president and CEO of United Way Toronto.

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